1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a sheet-fed rotary printing press for multi-color printing having printing units arranged in series and including plate cylinders, blanket cylinders and impression cylinders, whereby corresponding to each plate cylinder, there is provided an inking mechanism and a wetting mechanism, and in which the sheets to be printed are transferred through the press between the impression cylinders by means of transfer drums.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Such sheet-fed printing presses, in themselves, are part of the prior art (for example, German Laid Open Patent Appln. DE-OS No. 29 48 487) and make it possible to print multi-colored sheets. Each printing unit is used to print a specific color, for example, yellow, red, blue or black, so that the number of printing units equals the number of colors to be printed. Between the individual printing units, it is necessary to leave sufficient access for the operator, so that the printing plate, the blanket or even the ink in the inking mechanism can be easily changed. In large format machines, in particular, it is important that the printer have access to the spaces between the presses, in order that the necessary work may be done as easily and as rapidly as possible. These large spaces between the printing units increase the overall length of the machine and can often be created only by providing three transfer drums instead of a single transfer drum between the impression cylinders. This not only increases on the space required for the printing press, but also significantly increases the costs of manufacturing the press. On machines of the prior art, the spaces between the printing units are so narrow that they are not accessible to the operator so that it is very complicated, for example, for the operator to change a plate.
The above-identified German patent publication DE-OS No. 29 48 487 is hereby expressly incorporated by reference as if the entire contents thereof were fully set forth herein.